Snow-plow.



G. W. RUGGLES, DECD.

1:. s. means, ADMINIBTRATBIX.

SNOW PLOW.

APPLICATION nun my 23,1910.

Patented Sept. 13,1910.

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APPLICATION TILED MAY 23,10 10.

- Patented Sept. 13, 1910.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. RUGGLES, OF CHARLOTTE, NEW YORK; ELLEN S. RUGGLES ADMINISTRA- TRIX OF SAID GEORGE W. RUGGLES, DECEASED.

SNOW-PLOW.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 13, 1910.

Application filed May 23, 1910. Serial No. 562,899.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. RUeoLns, of Charlotte, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Snow-Flows, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings.

The present invention relates to snow plows of the type in which a housing or hood is arranged to collect the snow and suitable means is provided for discharging the snow from such housing or hood, an object of the invention being to provide a construction in which the lowering of the hood to the operative position and the raising of same are dispensed with, so that the control of the machine is easier and greater durability is secured.

WVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain parts and combination of parts all to be hereinafter fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the snow plow, with parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a view indicated by arrow a in Fig. 1, parts being broken away and the operating platform omitted; Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the housing of the plow, with the front frame timbers of the vehicle, parts being shown in two positions by full and by dotted lines and the driving shaft in transverse section; Fig. 4 is an inside elevation of parts at the lower right hand corner of the plow, the hood or housing being in vertical longitudinal sections on the dotted line b in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 shows detached, one of the side pieces at the ends of the scoop; Fig. 6 is a side elevation viewed as indicated by arrow 0 in Fig. 1, parts being shown in di' ferent positions by full and by dotted lines; Fig. 7 is a side view similar to Fig. 6, parts being vertically and longitudinally sectioned on the dotted line (Z in Fig. 1, and parts broken away; Fig. 8 is a side elevation of lower parts of the low seen as in Fi 6, showing the scoop tllted to a position 0% action; and Fig. 9 is drawn to a large scale and is a front view of parts at the lower left corner of the hood. It further shows one of the locking devices for the scoop, with parts in vertical transverse section.

In the embodiment of the invention here in illustrated a vehicle of any kind, such as the car 1 traveling on tracks 2, has arranged at one or both ends a hood or housing 3 for collecting the snow; said housing in this instance being rigidly secured to the front frame timbers of the car and having a width at least as great as the width of the vehicle by which it is carried. The outer wall of this housing opens forwardly to receive the snow while a partition l is provided to divide the housing into two chambers, the chamber in proximity to the vehicle being open at its top in order to permit the discharge of the snow. Vithin the forward or outer chamber is arranged a device for cutting and moving the snow toward the rear chamber. This device in this instance comprises a series of blades 5 preferably secured to shaft 6 which extends longitudinally of the vehicle and is driven by suitable means, (not shown). The snow moved rearwardly by the blades 5 is caught by a suitable discharging means which may be in the form of a bucket or lifting wheel 7 that lifts the snow and discharges the same through the opening in the top of the rear chamber of the housing. The bucket wheel may also be arranged upon the shaft (5 so that single driving means may be employed for the blades 5 and the bucket wheel 7.

A feature of this invention is the omission of the vertical adjustment of the snow collecting housing and the provision of a scoop 8 movable relatively to the housing for causing the collection of snow in close proximity to the track or surface over which'the vehicle travels. The scoop in this instance is hinged or pivoted at its rear edge as at 9 to the housing 3, the latter for this purpose having its forward lower wall recessed or cut away in order to receive the scoop 8, and the metal cut away from thehousing may be utilized for forming the scoop.

To the end that spaces or openings will not be provided between the scoop and the housing when the former is lowered, the scoop may be provided with side pieces 10, see Fig. 5, which are riveted or otherwise secured to 'the ends of the scoop and project upwardly therefrom, overlapping the proximate portions of the housing. In addition to the pivotal connection with the housing, the scoop may have its ends guided on the housing and with this purpose in view, the

side pieces or plates 10 are provided with curved slots 11 which receive projections 12 on the housing.

Any suitable means may be employed for raising and lowering in the scoop. In this embodiment, arms 13 are rigidly secured at their forward ends to the upper side of the scoop members and extend rearwardly through the rear wall of the housing 3. Pivotally connected to their rear ends are links 14: extending upwardly and pivotally connected at 16 to the outer ends of levers 17 fulcrumed at 18 on the under side of the platform 19 of the vehicle on which the operator of the machine stands. The adjacent ends of the levers 17 have the lower ends of links 20 pivotally connected thereto and the upper ends of said links are pivotally connected to a member 21 which is swiveled on the lower end of a manually operable screw 22 that turns in a nut 23 rigidly secured to the frame of the vehicle. It is desirable also to provide some means for rigidly securing the scoop to the housing after said scoop has been adjusted and to this end there is provided clamps for the opposite sides or ends of the scoop. Each of these clamps, in this instance, comprises a nut 23 turning on a screw threaded portion 25 of the projection 12, one of said portions 25 having a right hand screw thread and the other a left hand screw thread, a washer 26, if desired, being interposed bet-ween each nut 23 and one of the side pieces 10 of the scoop. Each of the nuts 23 may be bifurcated at 27 and receive between the arms of its bifurcation one end of a connecting rod 28, the latter being pivoted to the nut and also pivotally connected at its rear end at 29 to a lever 30 which in turn is pivoted at 31 to a depending timber on the frame of the vehicle and extends upwardly through a slot in the platform 19 so that the clamps may be actuated by the operator from the platform of the machine. In operating the clamps the levers 30 are thrown forward at their upper ends, thus drawing the rods 28 rearwardly and swinging the nuts to clamp the scoop ends against the sides of the casing.

With the housing may be arranged deflectors 32 for directing the snow toward the discharging or bucket wheel and serving to shape the interior of the housing to the periphery of the wheel. These deflectors also act to house the arms 13 extending rearwardly from the scoop. The scoop 8 may be also provided with deflectors 33 which overlap the deflectors 32 and form substantially continuous deflecting surfaces with the latter, the forward end of the arms 13 being secured to the scoop beneath the deflectors 33.

In the operation of the machine, the latter is moved either under power carried thereby or in any other manner to the point where it is to operate, the scoop during such movement being held in the position shown in full lines in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. When it is desired to cause the plow to move the snow, the scoop 8 is lowered to a position where it will not interfere with the track, being carried lower for level tracks than for uneven ones, this operation being effected from the platform 19 by turning the hand screw 22 thus moving the scoop operating mechanism to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The scoop may be locked in its adjusted position by throwing the levers 30 to the rear, thus effecting the clamping of the side piece 10 between the washers 26 and the side wall of the housing 3.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a snow plow having a scoop movable toward and from the surface over which the car travels without adjusting the entire housing in which the snow is collected. This arrangement permits a more simple control of the machine than has heretofore been provided, while at the same time the housing may be connected to the vehicle frame in such a manner that greater rigidity and consequently greater length of life is given to the plow. The parts for effecting these results are simple in operation and may be controlled from the vehicle. Furthermore, additional securing means for maintaining the scoop in its adjusted position is provided and may be operated from the vehicle.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle, a forwardly opening housing carried by the vehicle for collecting the snow, having provision permitting the snow to be discharged from one side of the vehicle, a lifting wheel operating in the housing to discharge the snow and deflectors in the housing directing the snow to the lifting Wheel, of a scoop supported at the forward lower portion of the housing and movable upwardly and downwardly relatively to the housing and deflectors carried by the scoop and overlapping the deflectors of the housing.

2. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle, a forwardly opening housing for collecting the snow, and a scoop arranged to direct the snow into the housing and movable upwardly and downwardly relatively to the housing, of means for raising and lowering the member, and locking means for opposite ends of the scoop operable independently of the raising and lowering means.

3. In a snow plow the combination with a vehicle, a forwardly opening housing for collecting the snow and a scoop arranged to direct snow into the housing and movable upwardly and downwardly relatively to said housing, of clamps arranged to secure opposite ends of the scoop in its adjusted position.

4:. In a snow plow, the combination with the vehicle a forwardly opening housing for collecting the snow, and discharging means for the snow collected by the housing, of a scoop arranged to direct snow into the housing and movable up and down relatively to said housing, means for moving the scoop member, and means independent of the moving means for locking the scoop member in its adjusted position, controllable from the vehicle.

5. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle a forwardly opening snow collecting housing carried by the vehicle, and having its lower portion cut away at its forward end, a lifting wheel arranged in the housing, and deflectors arranged in the housing on opposite sides of the wheel to direct snow to the latter, of a scoop movably mounted in the cut-away portion, and deflectors carried by the scoop and overlap ping the deflectors of the housing.

6. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle, of a forwardly opening housing for collecting the snow having a cut-away portion, a scoop arranged in the cut-away portion, having its rear edge pivotally connected to the edge of the cut-away portion and also having side pieces extending upwardly and overlapping the side edges of the cut away portion and deflectors arranged at opposite ends of the scoop.

7 In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle, and a housing carried thereby for collecting snow, of a scoop pivotally connected to the housing, having upwardly extending side pieces and guides between the side pieces and the housing.

8. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle, of a housing carried thereby for collecting snow provided with a recess in its lower forward portion, a scoop arranged in said recess, pivotally connected at its rear edge to the housing and having side plates overlapping the sides of the recess, the overlapping portions being provided with guide slots, and means on the housing cooperating with the walls of the slots.

9. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle, and a housing carried thereby for collecting snow, of a scoop pivotally connected to the housing and having upwardly extending sides overlapping the housing and provided with slots, guiding projections carried by the housing and operating in the slots, and clamping means operating on the projections.

10. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle, and a snow collecting housing carried thereby, of a scoop pivotally connected to the housing and having upwardly extending sides provided with slots and overlapping the housing, projections on the housing operating in the slots, one of said projections having a right hand thread and the other having a left hand thread, clamping nuts operating on said threads, and means for operating said nuts from the vehicle.

11. In a snow plow, combination with a vehicle and a snow collecting housing, of a scoop pivotally connected to the housing, clamps for securing opposite ends of the scoop to the housing, and controlling means for the clamps operable from the vehicle.

12. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle and a snow collecting housing, of a scoop pivotally connected to the housing having an upwardly extending side overlapping the housing and provided with a slot, a projection on the housing provided with a screw thread and operating in the slot, a clamping nut operating on the pro jection, a rod pivotally connected to the nut, and an operating lever connected to the rod.

13. In a snow plow, the combination with a vehicle and a snow collecting housing, of a scoop pivotally connected to the housing, an arm rigidly connected to the scoop and extending rearwardly therefrom, a link pivotally connected to the arm, a lever having one end connected to the link, a second link connected to the lever, a member to which the last mentioned link is pivoted, and a screw on which said member is swiveled.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of May, 1910, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE W. RUGGLES.

Witnesses:

W. H. DEMIsE, ROBERT Hnnnrrcn. 

